Joseph Ikpea and Omosede Igbinedion, candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been declared winners of the Edo Central senatorial district and Ovia Federal Constituency by-elections in the state.
The by-elections were conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fill the vacancies created by the election of Monday Okpebholo and Dennis Idahosa as the governor and deputy governor of the state, respectively.
Monday Okpebholo, before he was elected governor during the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election in the state, was the senator representing the Edo Central senatorial district, while Dennis Idahosa was representing Ovia Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
INEC on Saturday, August 16, 2025, conducted by-elections to fill the positions.
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The duo were declared winners at an early hour on Sunday by the various returning electoral officers for the elections.
Ikpea was declared the winner in Ubiaja, the administrative headquarters of Esan South-East local government area, by
Kingsley Ubaorji with 105,129 votes to defeat his closest rival, Joe Okojie of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 15,146 votes.
Igbinedion, on the other hand, was declared the winner by Clement Ighodalo with a total of 77,053 votes to defeat Johnny Aikpitanyi of PDP, who scored 3,838 votes and Sandra Asemota of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), who polled 925 votes at the Ovia West Local Government Area council hall in Iguobazuwa.
Speaking after his declaration, Joseph Ikpea, the senator-elect, dedicated the victory to God and the people of the district.
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Ikpea, who said the people had “chosen vision over sentiment, progress over politics-as-usual promised not to disappoint the electorate and the people of the district.
He noted that the victory reaffirmed the people’s faith in him and the party’s capacity to deliver the much-needed dividends of democracy.
“I will work hand in hand with our governor, our party, and community leaders to ensure that every part of Edo Central feels the impact of quality representation.
“Governor Monday Okpebholo is a leader of exceptional qualities, strategic, selfless, and deeply connected to the people. His support has been a stabilising force throughout this journey.
“I promised to prioritise legislation and interventions in the areas of infrastructure, youth empowerment, education, healthcare, and the strengthening of traditional”, he added.
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The breakdown of the results showed that Joseph Ikpea scored 20,781 in Esan Central Local Government to defeat Joe Okojie of PDP, who polled 2,065 votes.
In Esan North-East, the APC candidate garnered 20,366 votes to defeat that of the PDP with 4,566 votes.
The APC candidate also won Esan South-East with 14,873 votes, Esan West with 39,490 votes and Igueben with 9,619 votes, while the PDP got 4,036 votes, 2,270 votes and 2,209 votes respectively.
